2014 Mini Cooper S.... for a man?

[chrisgVRS]

Afternoon all,

So I find myself in a strange situation £20k ish to spend on a car, and am having a new Cooper S for the forthcoming weekend. I am 27 years old with a wife and very settled. I want something that I can fit 4 in if needed, normally only the 2 of us.

Puts a smile on the face, not to thirsty and has some gadgets.

The Cooper S on paper looks like a good choice Pan Roof, LED headlights, BMW Pro Nav etc etc

But am I going to get funny looks!? My wife thinks it is funny but I am keen!

[castex]

Have you considered one of these instead?

[andy-xr]

So what you're saying is that you want a sign on it that says "I'm not gay, I'm married to a woman" ?

Balls to whatever other people think. I drive round town in the g/f's Ka with pink wingmirrors. Get a funny look every so often, mostly blokes thinking they're going to be letting a girl out of a junction or change lanes, they soon look back ahead when they see it's me

[Vaud]

andy-xr said:

Balls to whatever other people think.

This. Life is too short to care. Man up.

[Jordan210]

doogz said:

4 people don't really fit.

We've had a few MINIs. They're really 2 seaters with a space behind the front seats to put stuff that doesn't fit in the tiny boot.

Iv fitted four adults in my F56 MINI easily. I would say MINI's are more 3 seaters as behind the driver can be useless.

[*Al*]

If you have to ask, then you have your answer!

[tomjol]

1. fk other people, drive what you want

2. (In previous model at least) four adults isn't really on, three is pushing it

[aka_kerrly]

Nowt wrong with the Mini other than the rear seats and boot are mostly decorative rather than functional.

If you want to use the rear seats and have a boot capable of fitting large suitcases etc in then it might be wise to upsize to a Focus ST/Golf/ Scirocco/ Megane R sized vehicle.

Is this not an opportunity for a coupe like a GT86?

[Dr Interceptor]

The new 5-door is the answer to the problem... Improves rear access, longer wheelbase, more room in the back, bigger boot, whilst still driving like a MINI.

Looks st mind you.

[vikingaero]

3 up is the norm in any MINI. If you are medium to tall the 4th passenger behind the driver needs an amputation before they will fit.

[Vaud]

20k? <7secs to 60, hatchback... a lot of choice.

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds?Acceleratio...

I'd try a low mileage used 125i or 130i (or even 135i), Focus ST, Golf GTi, etc as well...

[Catatafish]

For a married man it does not matter... unless you're planning on extra maritals and dont want to put them off mincing to and from said MCS.

Still, you can have both: rohypnol

[Challo]

I have a R53 Mini and although the newer versions are bigger the space in the back is not brilliant, plus the boot is rubbish. Normally its only me and the missus in the car, but I dread having to try and fit passengers in as its not very comfy for them.

[ian_c_uk]

Had an R55 Cooper Clubman, three daughters fit fine behind us, one on a booster seat.

Now have an R58 Cooper S Coupe - no rear seats, just a massive boot.

Don't care what people think, they are great fun to drive. Like them in spite of the image, not because of it.

[Rich1973]

You have £20K to spend, you are a bloke, you frequent pistonheads and the best car you can come up with is a mini?
300bhp/ton could have helped with his suggestions

[Ari]

chrisgVRS said:

But am I going to get funny looks!? My wife thinks it is funny but I am keen!

Oh dear, really?

It's not a dress, it's just a car - no one really cares (except a few halfwits who have so little going on in their lives that things like 'footballers cars' and 'reps cars' concern them).

Threads like this remind me of the 'what image does my Rolex give me' in the watch forums. None, because outside of a few watch geeks no one in the world will ever take the time or effort to get right up to your watch and read the little brand name on the dial.

Now, my router is a Belkin - so what sort of image does owning a Belkin router portray, anyone tell me? What about my Zanussi washing machine, should I change it for a different make?

[Blib]

I drive a Fiat 500 Twin Air. Think on that OP!

[culpz]

Go and test drive one and see what you think. Ignore what other people say IMO. If you let other people dictate what car you drive (who aren't petrol heads most of the time) you'll end up in a boring diesel rep-mobile like everyone else. I've learnt to stop trying to please other people with a fancy badge as you'll only end up being disappointed with quite a bland car. Unless you're in the market for something not particularly exciting. I test drove one and absolutely loved it! Was nice to be in something small an nimble again. Made some lovely noises especially in sport mode and went like stink. I would have been ready to order one there and then but unfortunately I've got another year and 4 months until my current lease is up. Deffo a contender for my next car which will be a hot hatch of some sort. My only issue was the build quality wasn't quite as premium as i was expecting. The manual gear shift in particular was made from a horrible plastic that felt like something from a fiat. Maybe i'm expecting too much coming from a Scirocco but given the premium brand and price tag to boot i just felt it was little bit of a let down. For me it's not a deal breaker though as compared to the Fiesta ST and Renaultsport Clio i was looking at seemed a fair step up and that engine just dominated it all for me. Would be happy to pay the extra for the overall package over its competitors and despite what most of the general public seem to think i really like the look of it. Thumbs up from me.

[g7jhp]

Nothing wrong with a Mini, but on your £20k budget you could have a used Golf GTI or Audi S3 which would be nicer cars to drive and give you more space.

[Greg_D]

The fact you stated that you had a wife when the question didn't warrant it tells us what you are thinking! and yes, men driving MINIs are likely to be judged as raging shirt lifters, if your ego can deal with that, get one. If it can't don't. Easy...